DETROIT — Bears quarterback Justin Fields has 113 rushing yards but his three-win team is in a familiar place: losing 24-10 to the Lions at Ford Field.
Fields’ rushing has been one of a just a few positive developments against a team with playoff aspirations. The Lions entered the game with the league’s worst defense but have sacked Fields four times and forced him to fumble on a run. Throw in an interception of the last play of the half, and Fields completed 3-of-8 passes for 33 yards, a 50.5 passer rating and two turnovers.
The quarterback started the game with dynamic plays of his own. He ran for 60 yards on a first-quarter scramble. He dropped back, couldn’t find a receiver and took off directly between the hash marks. By the time he reached the Bears’ 38, Fields had one defender a yard behind him and four in front. He zoomed past all of them, bent his run right and then back again left. By the time he reached the Lions’ 40, he had two men to beat with Dante Pettis running alongside him. Safety Kerby Joseph and cornerback Will Harris tore him down at the 10.
Fields reached 20.39 mph on his run, per NFL Next Gen Stats. It was his ninth run this year that hit at least 20 mph, the most of any player in a single season since tracking began in 2016.
The Bears had to settle for a field goal, though, to go ahead 10-3. The Lions scored the next two touchdowns.
The Bears’ only touchdown of the half came after a creative short-yardage call. On third-and-one on the Bears’ first drive, tight end Cole Kmet went in motion and settled in under center, seemingly to take a direct snap for a sneak. He took the snap and pitched the ball left to Fields, who ran like a tailback behind lead blocker David Montgomery. Thirty-one yards later, the Bears were at the Lions’ 21. Two plays later, Fields found Kmet for a 13-yard touchdown on third-and-two.
